Cracking the orthographic code: An introduction

In this introduction to the special issue, I will first briefly summarise past research on orthographic processing, describing some of the central areas of empirical investigation and the major theories guiding that work. Next, I will describe the more recent lines of empirical and theoretical research that have emerged over the last decade or so, and that serve as the focus of the current special issue. I will attempt to summarise the key evidence that has emerged from this research, and examine how this evidence can guide model selection. Finally, I will discuss some possible avenues for future research on orthographic processing in the hope of finally ‘cracking the orthographic code’.